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Carter Promises to Speed Jordan Aid

—Marc V. Schanz2/5/2015

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The
day after ISIS terrorists announced the execution of a captured
Jordanian pilot, Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter promised the
Senate Armed Services Committee he would work to speed both lethal and non-​lethal aid to the Jordanian government in Amman. SASC Chair Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.) said Jordan’s King Abdullah met with senators Tuesday prior to
returning to Jordan, noting the king had expressed frustration in getting deliveries
of certain weapons, such as munitions and spare parts, from the US. Carter said
if confirmed he would work to identify the problems and “resolve them,” adding that
when he was deputy secretary of defense he experienced frustration with getting
equipment to US troops in Afghanistan, as well. The news of the Jordanian
pilot’s death came the same day Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordanian
Foreign Minister Nasser Judah signed a
bilateral assistance agreement stipulating the US would raise its foreign
assistance to the kingdom from $600 million a year to $1 billion, to cover
programs ranging from assistance for the country’s Syrian refugee crisis to
economic support to “technical help and security.” The SASC also released
a joint letter Wednesday that pressed the White House for answers and seeks
a briefing on the state of foreign military assistance to the country.